Last Saturday I joined Stephen Gill and Okiharu Maeda of the conservation group P.T.O. for a hike along the Hozu River. The hike wasn't purely for the pleasure of getting out into the fresh country air though, Maeda-san and Mr. Gill were making a detailed report, with photographs of the exact location of trees on Mount Ogura that have been affected by a deadly oak disease. Even … [Read more...] about Hiking Along the Old Hozu River Towpath
World Saving
Kozmoz International
Kozmoz New York Coffee is an American style cafe/diner tucked away in Fushimi Momoyama, that specializes in such dishes as the Philly Cheesesteak, the Hot Italian Sausage, bagels, muffins, apple pies and cheesecake… What makes this establishment a little bit different from other cafes though, is that every yen made from your hotdog or cheesesteak, (and also all the profits … [Read more...] about Kozmoz International
The Artist Brian Williams
Last week I visited the artist Brian Williams at his studio, sat down for a chat and had a sneak preview of his upcoming exhibition at Kiyomizu Temple. Brian is due to have a special one night exhibit of his parabolic paintings this Saturday evening (May 14th) - the first time ever in 1200 years that any art has been exhibited on the famous Kiyomizu balcony. Brian is famous … [Read more...] about The Artist Brian Williams
Clearing up the Mountain
Lovely view, isn't it? Sadly, right below where I stood to take this picture there are piles of rubbish that people have illegally tipped down the wooded slopes of Mount Ogura. A lot of the discarded trash is domestic; buckets, bicycles, old refrigerators, motorbikes... But in this case a building company seems to have dumped some unwanted bags of cement. … [Read more...] about Clearing up the Mountain
One Hundred Poets on Mount Ogura, One Poem Each
朝に夕 眺めし小倉の 山にきて 幼き頃の 山路楽しむ To Ogura I have come, the hill I have looked at every morning and eve: enjoying again it's mountain paths I once walked as a child (Yoshihiro Tsuchida from the collection One Hundred Poets on Mount Ogura, One Poem Each) In a previous post I wrote about the environmental action group P.T.O. (People Together for Mt. Ogura) and the … [Read more...] about One Hundred Poets on Mount Ogura, One Poem Each
